North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture
Encyclopedia
The Commissioner of Agriculture is the head of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, as well as chairman of the state Board of Agriculture. As an executive officer elected statewide, the commissioner is also a member of the North Carolina Council of State
.
Leonidas L. Polk
was the first Commissioner when the office was established in 1877. At the time, the commissioner was appointed by the state Board of Agriculture. In 1900, the post was first elected by the people. Samuel L. Patterson of Caldwell County, North Carolina
, the (appointed) incumbent, was elected.
The current commissioner, elected by the people of North Carolina in the 2004 election, is Steve Troxler
. Troxler defeated the incumbent, Britt Cobb
, who was appointed to the office by Governor Mike Easley
after the resignation of Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps
, the granddaughter of former Commissioner W. Kerr Scott
.
The commissioner serves a four-year term, and there are no term limits.
North Carolina Council of State
The Council of State is a group of popularly elected executive offices in North Carolina, USA. It is separate from the North Carolina Cabinet, which is appointed by the Governor of North Carolina, and makes up the rest of the executive leadership of the government...
.
Leonidas L. Polk
Leonidas L. Polk
Leonidas Lafayette Polk , or L.L. Polk, was an American farmer, journalist and political figure.He was born in Anson County, North Carolina. L.L...
was the first Commissioner when the office was established in 1877. At the time, the commissioner was appointed by the state Board of Agriculture. In 1900, the post was first elected by the people. Samuel L. Patterson of Caldwell County, North Carolina
Caldwell County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 77,415 people, 30,768 households, and 22,399 families residing in the county. The population density was 164 people per square mile . There were 33,430 housing units at an average density of 71 per square mile...
, the (appointed) incumbent, was elected.
The current commissioner, elected by the people of North Carolina in the 2004 election, is Steve Troxler
Steve Troxler
Steve Troxler is a tobacco farmer and the Republican Commissioner of Agriculture for the U.S. state of North Carolina, sworn in February 8, 2005 after an extended election dispute following the November 2004 statewide election....
. Troxler defeated the incumbent, Britt Cobb
Britt Cobb
W. Britt Cobb, Jr. is the chief of staff for North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue and the former Secretary of Administration ....
, who was appointed to the office by Governor Mike Easley
Mike Easley
Michael Francis "Mike" Easley is an American politician who served as the 72nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, from 2001 to 2009. He is member of the North Carolina Democratic Party and became the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony in a deal that halted a lengthy...
after the resignation of Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps
Meg Scott Phipps
Meg Scott Phipps was the Commissioner of Agriculture for the state of North Carolina from 2001 to 2003.-Early life:She is the daughter of former North Carolina governor Bob Scott and former First Lady Jessie Rae Scott, as well as the granddaughter of former U.S. Senator and North Carolina Governor...
, the granddaughter of former Commissioner W. Kerr Scott
W. Kerr Scott
William Kerr Scott was a Democratic Party politician from North Carolina. He was the 62nd Governor of North Carolina from 1949 until 1953 and a United States Senator from 1954 until 1958.-Biography:...
.
The commissioner serves a four-year term, and there are no term limits.
List of Commissioners
- Leonidas L. PolkLeonidas L. PolkLeonidas Lafayette Polk , or L.L. Polk, was an American farmer, journalist and political figure.He was born in Anson County, North Carolina. L.L...
, 1877-1880 - Montford McGehee, 1880-1887
- John Robinson, 1887-1895
- Samuel L. PattersonSamuel L. PattersonSamuel Legerwood Patterson was a North Carolina politician and farmer.The son of Samuel F. Patterson and his wife, Phoebe Caroline, Patterson was born at Palmyra, the family plantation in Caldwell County, North Carolina....
, 1895-1897 - James M. Mewborn (or Mewborne), 1897-1898
- John R. Smith, 1898-1899
- Samuel L. PattersonSamuel L. PattersonSamuel Legerwood Patterson was a North Carolina politician and farmer.The son of Samuel F. Patterson and his wife, Phoebe Caroline, Patterson was born at Palmyra, the family plantation in Caldwell County, North Carolina....
, 1899-1908 - William A. GrahamWilliam A. Graham (agriculture commissioner)William Alexander Graham was a North Carolina legislator and state Commissioner of Agriculture.Born in Hillsborough, North Carolina to William Alexander Graham and Susannah Sarah Washington, Graham was educated at private schools, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Princeton...
, 1908-1923 - William A. Graham, Jr., 1923-1937
- William Kerr Scott, 1937-1948
- David S. Coltrane, 1948-1949
- Lynton Y. BallentineLynton Y. BallentineLynton Yates Ballentine was a North Carolina politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina from 1945 to 1949 and as North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture from 1949 until his death in 1964.-Biography:...
, 1949-1964 - James A. Graham, 1964-2000
- Meg Scott PhippsMeg Scott PhippsMeg Scott Phipps was the Commissioner of Agriculture for the state of North Carolina from 2001 to 2003.-Early life:She is the daughter of former North Carolina governor Bob Scott and former First Lady Jessie Rae Scott, as well as the granddaughter of former U.S. Senator and North Carolina Governor...
, 2001-2003 - Britt CobbBritt CobbW. Britt Cobb, Jr. is the chief of staff for North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue and the former Secretary of Administration ....
, 2003-2005 - Steve TroxlerSteve TroxlerSteve Troxler is a tobacco farmer and the Republican Commissioner of Agriculture for the U.S. state of North Carolina, sworn in February 8, 2005 after an extended election dispute following the November 2004 statewide election....
, 2005-present